Aderyn's Cradle: Gods and Men
by Hawki
Summary: Oneshot: Was it possible to kill a god? Was it possible that humanity could regain its freedom? Such questions were asked, but answers weren't given.


**Gods and Men**

"Does it bother you?"

"What?"

"Me. Consuming the flesh of animals."

It actually did bother Tain. He was a druid, bound to nature. He consumed only what was needed, and left nature's flesh creatures to themselves. But that was his path, and one he had chosen. Devana was a huntress. She made her own way, and that included hunting and consuming the flesh of fallen beasts.

"No," the druid lied. "It doesn't bother me."

"Good," the huntress said, unslinging the rabbits from her shoulder and hanging them on a branch before making her way to start a fire. "Cause I'm too hungry to go out for anything else."

With her slender frame, it puzzled Tain that Devana could eat anything at all. Light of limb, lithe of form, the whole concept of eating seemed counter-productive to her role. Or maybe she needed the energy. In which case, surely she realized that meat was not an efficient source of that nourishment, and there was-

The fire started. And Tain told himself to stop worrying. Told, but failed to do so.

"We risk much by a fire," he said eventually.

"Really? And why's that?"

"Ostia pursues us. And the fallen sons and daughters of Man may-"

"No-one comes into Titanwood unless they're hiding from something," Devana said, now in the process of skinning the rabbits. "So we can rule out any of our own kind finding us."

"And the wraith?"

Devana flicked some blood off her blades. "If Ostia wants a fight, we fight." She looked at her druid. "How long do we have to keep running anyway?"

"Long enough for Cradle to be remade."

"Right," she sniggered. "And how's that going?"

_Slowly, _Tain thought. He knew it, Devana knew it, their companions knew it, every human who still possessed free will knew it. That was why he remained silent.

"I mean, think about it," the huntress said, putting one skinned rabbit over the fire before moving to start on the next one. "We're part of a few select humans who, for whatever reason, decided that Aderyn wasn't needed for us to do what we wanted. No doubt that pissed off the other gods, who made their mindless followers pissed off, and if Ostia feels anything, that wraith pissed off as well." She tossed some rabbit fur on the ground. "So, since I'm not keen on killing my own kind, and I'm not for trying to kill gods either (as fun as that might be), I figure taking out that wraith might be a good place to start."

Tain sighed. "Conflict does not have to be resolved with the death of the opposing party."

"Really?" Devana asked, putting the other rabbit on the spit. "Tell that to Ostia. Tell it to everyone he's killed. Tell it to Mother Nature for all I care."

Tain just sat there, running a hand through his beard as he tried to ignore the smell of burning flesh. He looked away as Devana turned the rabbits over. He tried to ignore the sound of teeth meeting meat as the huntress began eating the poor creature.

"Y'know," Devana said between mouthfuls, "I never got why this place was named Titanwood."

"Do tell," Tain murmured.

"Yeah, I mean, the Icelands had molten rock, but there were still snow-capped peaks. The Quarry has that touch of irony to it, as nature, er, excavates the works of Man."

Tain smiled, remembering the ruins. Not that he wanted to see humanity go the same way, but nature taking back what was once its…it had a nice feeling to it. Even if he never admitted that.

"And no shit, the Desert is a desert," Devana said, now making her way down the leg of her first rabbit. "But Titanwood? What's up with that? I mean, the trees are tall and all, but they're not the first tall trees I've seen and-"

"It's named after titans."

Devana stopped eating. "What?"

"The titans," Tain repeated. "Precursors of the gods. Defeated by the gods. Basic mythology."

Devana stared at him.

"You're not well read are you?"

"Tain, I spent half my life hunting animals, and the other half fleeing from things hunting _me_. When was I going to pick up a book?"

Tain sighed – he hadn't read a book either. And even if he wasn't illiterate, he didn't see a need to. But he had the excuse of his history being passed down orally. If that was Devana's excuse, it was as flimsy as the rabbit fur she had cast aside.

"Fine," the druid said. "It's old mythology, might not even be real."

"Like your Mother Nature?"

"The titans," Tain continued, ignoring the barb, "were precursors to the gods. Mightier. Wiser. Superior."

"And what happened to them?" Devana asked, putting the first rabbit carcass to one side, but holding off on the second. "Where are they now?"

"The gods defeated them."

"Huh? But you said they were more powerful than the gods."

"I did," the druid said. "That doesn't mean they were infallible. Or that the weaker kindred could overpower the strong."

Devana remained silent.

"Anyway, Titanwood is named after them," Tain said, gesturing around the forest. "The titans were taller than the gods, and Titanwood has the tallest trees in Anora."

"I'll take your word for it," Devana murmured.

Tain sighed. "To be honest, I don't know if there's any truth in the story. The gods are real, of that there is no doubt, but precursors?" He started fiddling with a twig on the ground. "Sometimes I think it's a lie people tell. The notion that the weaker race may overcome the strong. A story to say, the gods overthrew the titans. Maybe we can overthrow the gods."

Devana scoffed. "Right. Kill the gods."

"Does that bother you?" Tain snapped. "You, who kill to survive?"

"That's different."

"Is it? Killing the gods would ensure our own survival, not to mention freedom. If it could be done-"

"See this rabbit?" Devana asked. "It's weaker than me. Prey. To the gods, we're rabbits. Rabbits don't fight. They flee."

"And yet you want to kill Ostia."

"I…" Devana trailed off. "What's your point Tain?"

"My point?" the druid asked, shuffling back to lie against a tree. "No point. I merely observe. And I'm observing right now that you're eager to kill, up to a point. Up to where you decide your foe is too powerful."

"Yeah, well, when someone else commits deicide, let me know."

"That's been done," Tain whispered. "With the death of Aderyn."

Devana sighed. She looked at Tain. She looked at the rabbit. With another sigh, she lay on the ground. No words to be said.

Watching the fire dance before him, wondering when Ostia might find them, Tain supposed he had nothing left to say either.


End file.
